grandelumierian_empirefandomcom-20200215-history
Charles-Nicolas Matthieu de Choiseul
Charles-Nicolas Matthieu '''(1699 - Present) is a Grandelumierian nobleman and current Duke of Choiseul from the Choiseul family. He acquired this title after the death of his grandfather, Duke Francois Antoine de Choiseul. He is the son of the late Duc de Richelieu, who was the son and heir of Francois Antoine but died before the Duke. He also currently serves on the Empress Conseil, as the Controller-General of Finances. Early Life '''Birth Charles-Nicolas Matthieu de Choiseul was born on the 6th May 1699, to Jean-Baptiste de Choiseul, Duc de Richelieu and Philippine Antoinette de Bragance, Duchesse de Richelieu. His birth was quiet, taking place at the family Chateau de Choiseul. It was a rare occasion to have a high ranking birth outside of court, but due to the current Duke of Choiseul's isolationist policies he was born at Choiseul. Only a few attended the birth, including the Dukes of Richelieu and Choiseul, his father and grandfather respectively. Early Childhood Immediately after his birth, he became known as the Duke of Nevers, an honourary title bestowed upon Charles-Nicolas by the Duke of Choiseul. The title had been unoccupied since the death of Charles-Nicolas' great uncle, Louis-Francois de Choiseul (1657 - 1674). He was kept at Choiseul, to be cared for by a hired governess. This governess would be Marie Jeanne, the Dame de Viver. She was hired by Charles-Nicolas' parents to oversee his education. Viver was harsh and strict, intending to mould Charles-Nicolas into her "model pupil". Her efforts, however, would be in vain because Charles-Nicolas was remarkably free spirited. Quite unlike his father and grandfather before him, he possessed an active, excitable and playful personality, quite unlike the former Choiseul men. From his mother, he inherited a free-spirited and somewhat "rebellious" demeanour in comparison to other members of his family. He cared little for his lessons with Viver, but did well nonetheless. Entering Court and Later Childhood A few months after his fifth birthday, Charles-Nicolas and his mother travelled to Paris to enter the court and have him baptised. It was surprising to many to once again see nobles of the House of Choiseul in court, as Duc Francois Antoine's isolationism caused a lot of confusion and a small schism between the Choiseul and the rest of court. Philippine Antoinette was determined to fix the reputation of the house caused by the Duc, and began using Charles-Nicolas as a "poster boy" for the "rebirth of House Choiseul". The dukes of Choiseul and Richelieu were content to live out their days alone at their Chateau, but Philippine was determined that her son would not end up the same as them, as a mindless drone wasting away in front of a fireplace. Much to Charles-Nicolas' disdain, the Dame de Viver travelled to court with them in order to continue his education during their entry into court, as to not disrupt his academic progress. He was baptised in the Palace Chapel of the Louvre, in July of 1705. He was given the name "Charles-Nicolas Matthieu", a name chosen by his mother. He saw his father only three times again after his baptism, between 1705 and 1712. It became apparent that Francois Antoine's isolationism would be ending with Charles-Nicolas, as he was brought up with the strong message that being at court is a necessity, and any idea of isolationism was removed from his mind. He was brought up around the court, and soon began to make friends with others his age, which would shape his soon to come gregarious and sociable personality. He'd become skilled in courtly etiquette and customs, which Philippine Antoinette used to her advantage, using her son to prove to the court that Choiseul could be courtly once more. His carefree time at court would soon be changed, as news reached the family at Court that his father, the Duc de Richelieu, had died in his sleep after a long period of illness. It was revealed that the messenger sent to inform them of the illness earlier had failed to reach the court, instead riding in the wrong direction and becoming lost. The old, frail and mentally incapacitated Duke of Choiseul was now left with Charles-Nicolas for an heir, despite at this time not knowing who he even was. Philippine Antoinette cared little, rarely seeing her husband since she and Charles-Nicolas had left for court, but she was still saddened to now be a widow. Her other children still remained at Choiseul, being cared for by staff and governesses. It was clearly favouritism for Charles-Nicolas, and neglect for her other children, though this was common. A few months after Jean-Baptiste's death, it soon became apparent that Philippine Antoinette had contracted a deadly illness, soon revealed to be smallpox. She was soon bedridden, too weak to continue. She died on the 28th of August 1712, at the Louvre. Later Life Becoming Duc de Choiseul and Marriage In 1714, Duke Francois Antoine of Choiseul fell ill with tuberculosis and died quietly at the Chateau de Choiseul. News only reached the court almost a week later, and with this news Charles-Nicolas was now officially Duke of Choiseul, head of the house and the new owner of the Choiseul family businesses. His first priority was marriage, and as such he began speaking to other house heads in court. He began to get on well with Monsieur le Prince, the head of the House of Blois-Penthievre. Following talks and negotiations, he was arranged to wed Isabelle Germaine, the niece of Monsieur le Prince. This would soon come to be, as the two were wed in the Palace Chapel, on the 3rd of November 1715. This marriage re-opened Choiseul's connections and ties to other houses in the court, now with the House of Blois-Penthievre, which was a powerful cadet branch of the Imperial Family. This marriage would progress to be a relatively happy one, producing four children, three of which would survive to adulthood. Court Life and Duc de Choiseul He would soon become well-known at court, for his efforts to re-establish the representation of House Choiseul, after it had been dashed by Duc Francois Antoine. In comparison to his grandfather, Charles-Nicolas became gregarious, sociable and well-spoken. In his younger years, he was considered handsome and rugged for his age. He was strong and well-built, but ended up giving in to many of the court extravagances and treats, eventually losing his figure. Charles-Nicolas also began to manage his businesses alone for the first time, and began using them to their full potential. He would accumulate a great deal of wealth from his many businesses, which he would wisely invest back into the businesses to end up with a greater profit. At court, he began to gain more and more favour with the Imperial Family and influential nobility, eventually becoming somewhat influential himself. His next great project was removing all of the remaining old and grim furniture at the Chateau de Choiseul, and renovating it. A key point for his planned renovation was the gardens, which had been badly neglected for years. He hired some of the greatest names in architecture, interior design and gardening for his project, in order to make the Chateau perfect and worthy of the Choiseul grandeur. The work would take a long year and a half, and cost up to 50,000 livres, which was considered quite cheap. His work would pay off, as the Chateau de Choiseul soon became a symbol of the new age of Architectural Design and grandeur. Now, with the Chateau finished, Charles-Nicolas became quite the host. He would often decide to host outings, balls and events at Choiseul, now that he deemed it worthy to have the Imperial Court there, without the old dark and dingy furniture which he so loathed, from the age of Francois Antoine. His work on the gardens would also pay off, as they became much nicer than before. Later Court Life and Service During his time at court, he developed a large circle and network of friendships and connections in court. The most notable of these was his friendship with the then Mademoiselle de Mortemart and her flourishing circle in court, which he would soon become a part of. Through this circle, he would gain good influence and new connections, such as the Duc de Bragance and Mademoiselle. He would also develop an intense rivalry with the Comte d'Andorre, who he deemed "peasant-like trash". In 1735, he'd take on a lover, Elisabeth de La Valliere. To many, Elisabeth de La Valliere was not pretty or beautiful, but he was infatuated with her. However, this would soon come to end after the then Mademoiselle de Mortemart convinced him to abandon La Valliere, and he would eventually begin an affair with Mademoiselle de Mortemart herself. It wouldn't stop anything when Mortemart was married to the Marquis de Montespan in 1737. He began to accrue more favour and respectability in court after he became part of the Empress Conseil, taking on the position of Superintendant of Finance, one of the greater positions on the Conseil. He sought to stabilise the economic status of Grandelumiere and brought in new policies regarding payment of court positions and court expenses in Grandelumiere. He also began to create more connections and acquaintances of court, these connections would end up causing his favour with the Imperial Family to begin rising, and along with it his influence. Mortemart died in May of 1737, which was quite a large hit to his influence, as she had been one of the most popular, influential and beloved courtiers in Grandelumiere. He would, however, end up striving to become influential by his own devices after her death. Issue With his wife, Isabelle Germaine, he'd have five children; * Louis-Francois Philippe, Duc de Richelieu (22nd September 1716 - Present) * Helene-Athenais Valerie, Comtesse de Noailles (14th August 1717 - Present) * Christine-Denise Henriette, Mademoiselle de Choiseul (3rd October 1718 - 12th February 1719) * Germaine-Yolande Amelie, Mademoiselle de Choiseul (19th January 1720 - Present) * Frederic-Chrétien Honore, Baron de La Ferte (27th July 1722 - Present) Titles and Styles * '''6th May 1699 - 24th March 1712: '''Sa Grace, le Duc de Nevers * '''24th March 1712 - 28th November 1714: '''Sa Grace, le Duc de Richelieu * '''28th November 1714 - Present: '''Sa Grace, le Duc de Choiseul Category:Nobility Category:House Choiseul Category:17th Century Births Category:Ministers of State